This invention relates to refrigeration systems and more particularly relates to a novel and improved commercial food handling system for maintaining food that is in the process of preparation in the kitchen at a controlled temperature.
There are currently refrigerator systems intended for commercial kitchen preparation which essentially consist of an outer housing or enclosure with inner compartments in some form of refrigerant apparatus as employed in the standard refrigerator so that containers of food may be placed into the compartments and removed only when needed for preparing different dishes. Other commercial food handling units have been devised in which certain foods, such as, salad makings as well as dressing can be placed in food containers and left exposed while cooling the undersides of the containers. Representative of such systems are set forth and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,702 to Kennedy, C. L. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,672 to Moore, E. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,687 to Carpenter, D. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,881 to Colvin, L. F., U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,367 to Moore, E. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,769 to Mangini, D. J. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,924 to Trulaske, R. J., Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,719 to Branz, M. A. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,649 to Mangini, D. et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,311 to Rastelli, A. A., U.S. Pat. No. 2,863,302 to Morris, H. A., U.S. Pat. No. 2,262,104 to Lambrecht, A. et al and U.S. Pat. No. 2,243,958 to Hermann, E. J.
There is a continuing need for refrigerant systems of the type described that are capable of providing immediate cooling uniformly throughout the individual food containers whether such containers are maintained in inner compartments or left at least partially exposed and in particular is capable of passing coolant air across the upper open ends of the food containers while the containers remain exposed and accessible to the chefs to accelerate preparation of individual servings.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved refrigerant system for commercial food handling which is extremely reliable and efficient in use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for a food handling system wherein a controlled circulation of coolant air will maintain both the inner compartments and exposed food containers at a preselected temperature and at the same time prevent contact with the food by flying insects.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved refrigerated food handling cabinet containing a unique air circulating system for maintaining both internal and external food containers at a uniform temperature.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide for a novel and improved food handling table adapted to receive food containers containing perishable food and for maintaining uniform circulation of air above and below the food containers to maintain a predetermined temperature level, discourage intrusion of bugs or insects but at that same time establish easy access to the food for preparation of individual servings.
In accordance with the present invention, there has been devised a novel and improved refrigerated food handling table of the type including a cabinet provided with a storage compartment for foods and a recessed portion in the horizontal top surface having a plurality of food container openings therein for supporting food containers above said storage compartment so as to be upwardly open with their bottom portions disposed in open communication with the storage compartment and which is characterized in particular by a supply air duct and return air duct disposed in spaced confronting relation to one another along opposite sides of the food containers and a refrigeration system in said cabinet including a condensor and first air flow means for directing outside air across the condensor, a compressor, and an evaporator including second air flow means for directing air across the evaporator for discharge in separate layers across and above each of the food containers.
The food containers are preferably aligned or oriented in a row or rows on the top surface of the cabinet and the supply air and return air ducts are preferably configured such that one extends higher than the other and are joined by sloped end panels at opposite ends of the food containers. In this way, the food containers are readily accessible to food handlers from the side of the table having the lowermost of the air ducts and the lower return air ducts will better take into account the effect of gravity on the air flowing over the top surface. Further, the supply and return air ducts are positioned with respect to the food containers such that air can be circulated in separate layers both above the food containers and across the lower portions of the food containers extending beneath the top surface of the table to maintain uniform temperature throughout each of the containers. At the same time, the air current generated across the top surface is such that insects are effectively precluded from contacting the exposed food in the containers. Most desirably, the supply air duct has a progressively reduced chamber area away from the air inlet and extending across one side of the food containers so as to promote uniform circulation of air across all of the food containers; and the return air duct similarly includes a chamber of progressively reduced area across its length to cooperate with the supply air duct in promoting uniform air circulation.
A unique air duct system for recirculating air enables the division of air into different streams not only across the food containers in the top surface of the table but across the lower compartments in the interior of the cabinet, and the air streams are recombined into a single return air stream which is induced to flow across the evaporator for recooling and recirculation back through the supply air duct to achieve maximum efficiency in cooling and distribution of the air throughout the cabinet.
The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of preferred and modified forms of the present invention when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which: